SAN ANTONIO — July 2 marks a dark day for the Kendall County Sheriff's Office. Five years ago, Deputy Carlos Ramirez was killed in the line of duty.
Kendall County Sheriff Al Auxier said a young driver fell asleep at the wheel when he hit and killed Deputy Ramirez who was working a traffic stop off I-10 near Boerne.
"It is one of those things you wish you never had to experience," Auxier said. "It is always going to be etched in my mind, you can't erase what you saw. It wasn't a good thing."
Sheriff Auxier remembers the callouts on the radio as he rushed to the scene. He also recalled being the one to break the news to Deputy Ramirez's wife.
"I think when she saw me, she knew something wasn't good," he said.
He said the two immediately started praying together.
"She had requested that we pray," he said. "And so we did."
Deputy Ramirez, not only left behind a wife, but also two kids. Years later, the Kendall County Sheriff's Office is still surrounded by the fallen deputy. They have plaques, a painting, even a chair in his honor.
"Anytime a community loses somebody that has given themselves to the service of that community, I think everybody hurts," the sheriff added.
The sheriff said the person who hit and killed Ramirez was a young driver who feel asleep at the wheel. The sheriff said he has never been in trouble before, and was charged with a misdemeanor. He also added the driver met the deputy's wife.
"I think Jessica forgave him," the sheriff said. "And they spoke. You can't ask for a better peace than that. Between the two of them, that was a beautiful thing."
As time goes by, the sheriff said he simply won't forget the man who was a hero and gave the ultimate sacrifice.
"We will never forget," he said. "We will always remember him."
The sheriff added what has also helped them all move forward is the outpouring support from all over.
"Life does go on," he said. "We can remember and look back."
>MORE ON KENS
TRENDING: